Abstract:

A motorcycle includes a rear brake caliper bracket coupled to the
swingarm. In some constructions, the rear brake caliper bracket includes
a caliper mounting portion and a license plate mounting portion. In some
constructions, the rear brake caliper bracket includes an axle engaging
portion secures and retains the axle relative to the swingarm in a
desired position along the axis of rotation. In some constructions, the
rear brake caliper bracket is disposed at a laterally outward side of the
swingarm and includes a caliper mounting portion, first and second
swingarm engaging portions, and an axle engaging portion. In such
constructions, the motorcycle may further include an axle adjusting
member engaged with the rear brake caliper bracket and operable to adjust
the position of the axle relative to the swingarm.

Claims:

1. A motorcycle comprising:a frame;a swingarm coupled to the frame;a rear
wheel coupled to the swingarm so that the rear wheel is rotatable
relative to the swingarm and movable with the swingarm relative to the
frame;a brake disc coupled to the rear wheel to rotate with the rear
wheel;a rear brake caliper bracket coupled to the swingarm, the rear
brake caliper bracket including a caliper mounting portion and a license
plate mounting portion; anda brake caliper coupled to the caliper
mounting portion of the rear brake caliper bracket and configured to
selectively squeeze the brake disc to decelerate the rear wheel.

2. The motorcycle of claim 1, wherein the license plate mounting portion
is configured to display a license plate alongside the rear wheel.

3. The motorcycle of claim 1, further comprising a license plate bracket
coupled to the license plate mounting portion of the rear brake caliper
bracket and configured to display a license plate at a location spaced
from the rear brake caliper bracket.

4. The motorcycle of claim 1, wherein the caliper mounting portion
includes an aperture, the motorcycle further comprising a fastener
extending through the brake caliper and fixed within the aperture to
secure the brake caliper to the caliper mounting portion of the rear
brake caliper bracket.

5. The motorcycle of claim 4, wherein the rear brake caliper bracket has
an interior side generally facing the rear wheel and an exterior side
generally facing away from the rear wheel, wherein the fastener is
insertable into the aperture from the interior side.

6. The motorcycle of claim 1, wherein the rear brake caliper bracket
includes a swingarm engaging portion received within an aperture formed
in the swingarm.

7. The motorcycle of claim 6, further comprising an axle defining an axis
of rotation of the rear wheel, wherein the axle is received by an
aperture through the swingarm engaging portion of the rear brake caliper
bracket.

8. A motorcycle comprising:a frame;a swingarm coupled to the frame;a rear
wheel coupled to the swingarm so that the rear wheel is rotatable
relative to the swingarm and movable with the swingarm relative to the
frame;an axle extending through the center of the rear wheel, the axle
defining an axis of rotation of the rear wheel with respect to the
swingarm;a brake disc coupled to the rear wheel to rotate with the rear
wheel;a rear brake caliper bracket coupled to the swingarm, the rear
brake caliper bracket including an axle engaging portion engaged with the
axle, and a caliper mounting portion; anda brake caliper coupled to the
caliper mounting portion of the rear brake caliper bracket and configured
to selectively squeeze the brake disc to decelerate the rear
wheel,wherein the axle engaging portion secures and retains the axle
relative to the swingarm in a desired position along the axis of
rotation.

9. The motorcycle of claim 8, wherein the caliper mounting portion
includes an aperture, the motorcycle further comprising a fastener
extending through the brake caliper and fixed within the aperture to
secure the brake caliper to the caliper mounting portion of the rear
brake caliper bracket.

10. The motorcycle of claim 9, wherein the rear brake caliper bracket has
an interior side generally facing the rear wheel and an exterior side
generally facing away from the rear wheel, wherein the fastener is
insertable into the aperture from the interior side.

12. The motorcycle of claim 11, wherein the license plate mounting portion
is configured to display a license plate alongside the rear wheel.

13. The motorcycle of claim 11, further comprising a license plate bracket
coupled to the license plate mounting portion of the rear brake caliper
bracket and configured to display a license plate at a location spaced
from the rear brake caliper bracket.

14. The motorcycle of claim 8, wherein the axle engaging portion of the
rear brake caliper bracket is in threaded engagement with an end of the
axle.

15. The motorcycle of claim 14, wherein the axle engaging portion is
formed with a threaded aperture, and the axle is formed with male threads
that engage the threaded aperture.

16. The motorcycle of claim 8, wherein the axle engaging portion of the
rear brake caliper bracket is adjustably received within an aperture
formed in the swingarm.

17. A motorcycle comprising:a frame;a swingarm coupled to the frame;a rear
wheel coupled to the swingarm so that the rear wheel is rotatable
relative to the swingarm and movable with the swingarm relative to the
frame;an axle extending through the center of the rear wheel, the axle
defining an axis of rotation of the rear wheel with respect to the
swingarm;a brake disc coupled to the rear wheel to rotate with the rear
wheel;a rear brake caliper bracket coupled to the swingarm and disposed
at a laterally outward side of the swingarm, the rear brake caliper
bracket including a caliper mounting portion, first and second swingarm
engaging portions, and an axle engaging portion;an axle adjusting member
engaged with the rear brake caliper bracket and operable to adjust the
position of the axle relative to the swingarm; anda brake caliper coupled
to the caliper mounting portion of the rear brake caliper bracket and
configured to selectively squeeze the brake disc to decelerate the rear
wheel.

18. The motorcycle of claim 17, wherein the first swingarm engaging
portion is adjustably disposed within an aperture formed in the swingarm.

19. The motorcycle of claim 18, wherein the second swingarm engaging
portion engages an upper surface of the swingarm and is fastened thereto
with a fastener extending in a direction generally along the torque load
path between the brake disc and the brake caliper.

20. The motorcycle of claim 17, wherein the axle engaging portion does not
engage the axle at any point laterally between the swingarm and the rear
wheel.

Description:

BACKGROUND

[0001]The present invention relates to the mounting of a rear brake
caliper on a motorcycle. More particularly, the invention relates to a
motorcycle having a rear brake caliper bracket provided with features to
enhance the functionality of the rear brake caliper bracket beyond
mounting the rear brake caliper.

SUMMARY

[0002]In one embodiment, the invention provides a motorcycle including a
frame, a swingarm coupled to the frame, and a rear wheel coupled to the
swingarm so that the rear wheel is rotatable relative to the swingarm and
movable with the swingarm relative to the frame. A brake disc is coupled
to the rear wheel to rotate with the rear wheel. A rear brake caliper
bracket is coupled to the swingarm and includes a caliper mounting
portion and a license plate mounting portion. A brake caliper is coupled
to the caliper mounting portion of the rear brake caliper bracket and
configured to selectively squeeze the brake disc to decelerate the rear
wheel.

[0003]In another embodiment, the motorcycle includes an axle extending
through the center of the rear wheel to define an axis of rotation of the
rear wheel with respect to the swingarm. The rear brake caliper bracket
includes an axle engaging portion engaged with the axle, and a caliper
mounting portion. The axle engaging portion secures and retains the axle
relative to the swingarm in a desired position along the axis of
rotation.

[0004]In yet another embodiment, the motorcycle's rear brake caliper
bracket is disposed at a laterally outward side of the swingarm. The rear
brake caliper bracket includes a caliper mounting portion, first and
second swingarm engaging portions, and an axle engaging portion. The
motorcycle further includes an axle adjusting member engaged with the
rear brake caliper bracket and operable to adjust the position of the
axle relative to the swingarm.

[0005]Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration
of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006]FIG. 1 is a side view of a motorcycle.

[0007]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rear wheel assembly of the
motorcycle of FIG. 1.

[0008]FIG. 3 is a detail perspective view of a rear brake caliper bracket
as shown in FIG. 2.

[0009]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rear brake caliper bracket of
FIG. 3.

[0010]FIG. 5 is an alternate perspective view of the rear brake caliper
bracket of FIG. 3.

[0011]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the rear wheel assembly, taken
along line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

[0012]Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it
is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application
to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set
forth in the following description or illustrated in the following
drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being
practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be
understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the
purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of
"including," "comprising," or "having" and variations thereof herein is
meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as
well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the
terms "mounted," "connected," "supported," and "coupled" and variations
thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect
mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, "connected" and
"coupled" are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or
couplings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013]FIG. 1 illustrates a motorcycle 20 including a frame 24, an engine
28, a front wheel 32, and a rear wheel 36. The rear wheel 36 is driven by
the engine 28 and is part of a rear wheel assembly 40 movably coupled to
the frame 24 by a swingarm 44. A rear brake disc 48 is coupled to the
rear wheel 36 to rotate with the rear wheel 36. A brake caliper 52 is
supported by a swingarm-mounted rear brake caliper bracket 56 in position
to selectively squeeze the brake disc 48 to decelerate the rear wheel 36
and thus, the motorcycle 20.

[0014]As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, a stationary axle 60
extends through a hub 64 of the rear wheel 36, which is rotatably mounted
on the axle 60 with a pair of bearings 68. A sprocket 72 is fixed to the
rear wheel 36 at the hub 64. The sprocket 72 is selectively driven to
rotate by power from the engine 28 and is coupled to the rear wheel 36 to
drive the rear wheel 36 to move the motorcycle 20. Although illustrated
as directly coupled to the rear wheel 36, the sprocket 72 is provided
with an internal torque compensator in some embodiments and, as such, is
mounted to the rear wheel 36 to allow a limited amount of relative
rotation therebetween. The axle 60 defines an axis of rotation A (FIGS. 2
and 6) of the rear wheel assembly 40. The rear wheel 36, the brake disc
48, and the sprocket 72 all rotate relative to the swingarm 44 about the
axis A. The axis A is movable with the rear wheel 36 and the swingarm 44
relative to the frame 24. In the illustrated construction, the swingarm
44 is pivotably mounted to the frame 24 such that the axis A can pivot
along an arc about a swingarm pivot 76 (FIG. 2) when the rear wheel 36
encounters irregularities in the road surface.

[0015]As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the sprocket 72 is disposed on a left
lateral side of the rear wheel 36, and the brake disc 48 (along with the
brake caliper 52) is disposed on a right lateral side of the rear wheel
36. Such an arrangement is shown by way of example, and it is conceived
that the arrangement may be reversed to relocate the sprocket 72 on the
right side of the rear wheel 36 and relocate the brake disc 48 to the
left side of the rear wheel 36. Furthermore, the brake disc 48 and the
sprocket 72 may be disposed on the same side of the rear wheel 36
(provided as separate components or integrated into a singular
component).

[0016]In the illustrated construction, the rear brake caliper bracket 56
is disposed on a laterally outward side of the swingarm 44 (furthest from
the rear wheel 36 as measured along the axis A). By positioning the rear
brake caliper bracket 56 outside the swingarm 44, rather than between the
rear wheel 36 and the swingarm 44, the swingarm 44 can be made more
narrow, which reduces its weight. Furthermore, a narrower swingarm 44
makes the motorcycle 20 more compact overall and allows tighter packaging
of other components (e.g., exhaust piping, muffler 78). The lateral
compactness of the motorcycle 20 improves mass centralization and
increases the allowable lean angle, enhancing handling performance and
improving overall balance of the motorcycle 20.

[0017]As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the rear brake caliper bracket 56 includes
two caliper mounting portions 80, 82. Each of the caliper mounting
portions 80, 82 includes a threaded aperture 86 configured to receive a
threaded caliper mounting fastener 88. The apertures 86 are only open to
one side of the rear brake caliper bracket 56--a laterally inward side
56A that faces the rear wheel 36. Thus, when the brake caliper 52 is
coupled with the bracket 56, the fasteners 88 are hidden from view. Due
to the close proximity of the rear brake caliper bracket 56 with the
brake disc 48, the fasteners 88 may be required to be inserted into the
apertures 86 prior to coupling the rear brake caliper bracket 56 to the
swingarm 44.

[0018]With further reference to FIGS. 3-5, the rear brake caliper bracket
56 includes a first swingarm engaging portion 92 and a second swingarm
engaging portion 94. The first swingarm engaging portion 92 is a
generally horizontally protruding boss that extends into an aperture 98
formed in the swingarm 44. The first swingarm engaging portion 92 is
adjustable within the aperture 98 of the swingarm 44. An axle engaging
aperture 102 extends through the first swingarm engaging portion 92. The
second swingarm engaging portion 94 extends farther forward than the
first swingarm engaging portion 92 and engages an upper surface 106 of
the swingarm 44. The second swingarm engaging portion 94 includes a slot
110 that is longitudinally oversized for adjustably receiving a fastener
112. The fastener 112 (e.g., a threaded screw) extends in a generally
downward direction into engagement with the swingarm 44. The fastener 112
is positioned generally in the direction of the torque load path (of a
torque applied to the bracket 56 when the caliper 52 squeezes the
rotating brake disc 48). Therefore, the fastener 112 does not have
particularly high loading requirements as most of the torque from the
brake caliper 52 is transmitted directly through the second swingarm
engaging portion 94 to the swingarm 44. The slot 110 enables the position
of the rear caliper bracket 56 to be adjusted relative to the swingarm 44
when the fastener 112 is loosened.

[0019]The swingarm aperture 98 is oversized in a longitudinal direction
(generally parallel to the elongated direction of the slot 110) to allow
for adjusting the position of the rear brake caliper bracket 56 relative
to the swingarm 44. Because the axle 60 is received within the aperture
102 of the rear brake caliper bracket 56, the adjustment of the bracket
56 relative to the swingarm 44 also adjusts the position of the axis A,
and the entire rear wheel assembly 40, relative to the swingarm 44.

[0020]In the illustrated construction, the axle 60 is provided with an
externally threaded end portion 116 that is received by the aperture 102,
which includes complementary internal threads. In this way, the rear
brake caliper bracket 56 is operable to secure and retain the axle 60
relative to the swingarm 44. The rear brake caliper bracket 56 can be
held stationary while the axle 60 is tightened to apply a desired amount
of axial preload to the bearings 68. The threaded aperture 102 of the
rear brake caliper bracket 56 obviates the need for a conventional axle
nut to be separately provided and tightened onto the axle 60. It is
conceived that the rear brake caliper bracket 56 may be provided with
alternate structure to engage and retain the axle 60 relative to the
swingarm 44 depending upon the particular axle configuration.

[0021]In the area of the first swingarm engaging portion 92 that extends
into the elongated aperture 98 in the swingarm 44, the rear brake caliper
bracket 56 includes a substantially flat load bearing surface 120 (FIG.
4). An axle adjusting member 124 (FIG. 3) is threaded into the swingarm
44 adjacent the aperture 98 and extends generally into the aperture 98
and into contact with the surface 120 on the rear brake caliper bracket
56. Rotation of the adjusting member 124 relative to the swingarm 44
extends/retracts the adjusting member 124 and adjusts the position of the
rear axle 60, and with it the sprocket 72 and the rear wheel 36, relative
to the swingarm 44. A similar adjustment mechanism may be provided on the
opposite side of the swingarm 44 (adjacent the sprocket 72) so that drive
member (e.g., chain, belt) tension and/or rear wheel alignment may be
adjusted.

[0022]As shown in FIGS. 2-5, the rear brake caliper bracket 56 includes a
license plate mounting portion 132. In the illustrated construction, the
license plate mounting portion 132 is positioned at a rearward side of
the rear brake caliper bracket 56. The license plate mounting portion 132
includes a flange 136 with a pair of apertures 140. The apertures 140 are
aligned with mounting portions 142 (one shown in FIG. 3) in a license
plate mounting bracket 144 so that a pair of fasteners 146 extend through
the apertures 140 and into engagement with the mounting portions 142 to
couple the license plate mounting bracket 144 to the rear brake caliper
bracket 56. The mounting portions 142 may include threaded apertures.

[0023]The license plate mounting portion 132 is configured to display a
license plate 148 alongside the rear wheel 36. The license plate mounting
bracket 144 includes a license plate holder 150 spaced from the mounting
portions so that the license plate 148 is spaced from the rear brake
caliper bracket 56. The holder 150 may be adjustable and/or foldable
relative to the license plate mounting bracket 144 and the rear brake
caliper bracket 56. The license plate mounting portion 132 may
alternately mount a different style of license plate mounting bracket
from that shown, or may be used to directly support the license plate 148
without a bracket. The fasteners 146 extend through the apertures 140
from a laterally outward side 56B of the rear caliper bracket 56 (FIG.
3). Thus, the fasteners 146 are accessible such that the license plate
mounting bracket 144 may be removed or replaced without removing the rear
brake caliper bracket 56 from the swingarm 44.

[0024]Thus, the invention provides, among other things, a multi-functional
rear brake caliper bracket 56 that is mounted to the swingarm 44. Various
features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following
claims.